Terrance West Named As Offensive Player of the Year; Darius Victor Honored As CAA Rookie of Year

RICHMOND, Va. – Junior running back Terrance West (Northwestern H.S./Baltimore, Md.) of Towson University has been named as the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Offensive Player of the Year and is one of 14 Tigers named to the All-CAA teams that were announced by CAA officials on Tuesday.

In addition, freshman running back Darius Victor (Northwestern H.S./Hyattsville, Md.) was named as the CAA’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The Tigers, who are seeded seventh in the NCAA FCS playoffs and earned a first round bye, led all CAA schools with 14 selections on the three All-CAA teams. Towson placed eight players on the All-CAA first team, including three players who were repeat selections.

West was named to the All-CAA first team for the third consecutive year. Senior tackles Eric Pike (DuVal H.S./Landover, Md.) and Randall Harris (DuVal H.S./Lanham, Md.) were named first team All-CAA for the second year in a row. Pike was also an All-CAA third team honoree as a sophomore.

The Tigers, who led all CAA schools with eight first-team selections, placed two players on the All-CAA second team and had four players named third team.

William & Mary was second among CAA schools with 11 overall selections, including six first team picks. CAA champion Maine, Richmond and Villanova each had 10 honorees. Maine also had six players named first team All-CAA.

Delaware had nine players honored while New Hampshire placed eight on the All-CAA teams. James Madison had seven players honored and Rhode Island had six.

“Our guys play extremely hard for each other and it is massively gratifying to see their consistent play garner so much respect,” said Towson Coach Rob Ambrose. “To have this many young men celebrated for their achievements certainly signify the strength of our efforts and the strength of our program moving forward.”

Senior linebacker Monte Gaddis (Cleveland Central Catholic H.S./Cleveland, Ohio) was named second team All-CAA for the second year in a row while junior cornerback Tye Smith (Wakefield H.S. /Raleigh, N.C.) also earned second team honors. Smith was a third team honoree last season.

Kinnard and Wilkins are first-time honorees while Shaw was a second team selection last year. Joseph earned third team All-CAA honors for the second time. He was a second team All-CAA selection as a freshman.

One of the leading candidates for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented to the top player in FCS football, West leads NCAA FCS with 1,865 rushing yards in 12 games, an average of 155.4 yards per game. While averaging 6.2 yards per carry, he has rushed for more than 100 yards in 10 of 12 games. He has also topped the 200-yard mark three times. He is already the leading career rusher in Towson history with 4,205 yards.

A four-time selection as the CAA Offensive Player of the Week, West leads the nation (all divisions) with 31 touchdowns scored. In his career, he has scored 75 touchdowns – just 14 shy of the NCAA FCS record held by former NFL All-Pro Brian Westbrook of Villanova.

The second Tiger to be named as the CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year, Victor ran for 410 yards in 10 games as West’s backup. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns. He was named as the CAA Rookie of the Week in September.

Pike and Harris are the All-CAA first team tackles for the second year in a row. A two-year co-captain, Pike set a school record on Saturday when he became the first Towson football player to appear in 46 games. A four-year starter, he has started every game of his college career. Harris is a two-year starter at right tackle. Led by Pike and Harris, the Tiger offense set school records with 446 points scored and 5,519 yards of total offense.

A two-year starter at fullback, Holder caught 11 passes for 123 yards and scored two touchdowns in 2013. He also provides the Tigers with a strong blocker in the backfield.

A transfer from the University of Massachusetts, Delaire started 11 of 12 games this season. He ranked sixth on the team with 51 tackles while leading the Tigers with 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for lost yardage. Delaire is second in the CAA in tackles for lost yardage and ranks third in the CAA in sacks.

A two-time selection as the CAA Defensive Player of the Week, Clark leads the Tigers with 107 tackles, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Honored as the National Defensive Player of the Week after the Tigers’ win at Richmond, Clark is fifth in the CAA in tackles. He also leads the CAA with five forced fumbles and is tied for the CAA lead with three fumble recoveries.

A first-year starter for the Tigers, Carpenter started 10 games at safety and made quite an impact. He made 65 tackles, fourth on the team and broke up four passes. He also intercepted three passes and recovered two fumbles. In the Tigers’ win at Richmond, he returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown.

Despite missing the first two games of the season, Love was seventh on the team with 43 tackles. A transfer from Georgia prior to last season, Love also broke up nine passes, second on the team and fifth in the CAA.

A repeat selection on the All-CAA second team, Gaddis was one of the Tiger captains this season. He was second on the team and 19th in the CAA with 86 tackles. He had two interceptions and five tackles for lost yardage.

The CAA Defensive Player of the Week last week, Smith made 85 tackles, third on the team. He ranked fourth among CAA defensive backs in tackles and broke up 10 passes, third in the CAA. A member of the All-CAA third team last year, Smith also intercepted two passes and forced two fumbles.

Kinnard was named as a third team All-CAA selection for the first time. Before suffering a season-ending injury, he caught 43 passes for 664 yards and a touchdown. While averaging 60.4 receiving yards per game, he ranked ninth in the CAA. The versatile Kinnard also lined up at quarterback for the Tigers and returned punts and kickoffs.

Wilkins is also a first-time All-CAA selection. Like Kinnard, his season ended early due to an injury. In nine games, he caught 40 passes for 691 yards and four touchdowns. He led the CAA by averaging 17.3 yards per reception and ranked fifth with 76.8 receiving yards per game.

A second team All-CAA selection as a junior, Shaw earned third team honors this season. A starter in 40 of the last 41 games, he has been a fixture and a leader on the offensive line for four years.

Joseph earned All-CAA notice for the third time in his career. As a junior, he averaged 24.7 yards per kickoff return and returned two kickoffs for touchdown. The Tigers’ career leader in kickoff returns, he has now returned four kickoffs for touchdowns, a school record.

The Tigers, who are 10-2, are seeded seventh in the FCS playoffs. After a first-round bye, the Tigers will host the winner of the Fordham-Sacred Heart game on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 1:00 p.m.

The Tigers, who have a 26-9 record over the last three seasons, will be making their second NCAA FCS playoff appearance in three years. Over the last three years, the Tigers are 19-5 in CAA games. After winning the 2011 CAA championship, the Tigers shared the CAA title last year. They tied for second in the CAA with New Hampshire in 2013.

When Towson earned its first NCAA FCS playoff bid in 2011, Towson became the first NCAA school to earn playoff bids at three different levels. Towson went to the Division III playoffs in 1976. The Tigers competed for the Division II championship in 1983, 1984 and 1986.

2013 CAA Football Major Awards (as voted on by the head coaches)

Coach of the Year: Jack Cosgrove, Maine, 21 seasons

Offensive Player of the Year: Terrance West, Towson, Jr., Running Back

Defensive Player of the Year: Stephon Robertson, James Madison, Sr., Linebacker

Special Teams Player of the Year: Tre McBride, William & Mary, Jr., Kick/Punt Returner